About me
BA Journalism graduate @ Goldsmiths University of London
i Newspaper Group Intern
EastLondonLines Journalist
[smiths] Magazine - Deputy Editor of Arts and Culture
Wired Radio Presenter
Creative, outgoing, sport loving, content producer of news, features and long reads.
Heavily interested in arts, fashion, culture, politics, sports and current events.
Projects
- Chicago in 24 hoursOn the shores of Lake Michigan in the heart of the Midwest States, lies Chicago, the ‘Windy City’. As America’s third most populated city and as one of the most important business centres in the world, a rise in gentrification and urban regeneration over the past decade has seen Chicago become a diverse mixture of Manhattan and Shoreditch. My aim? To see several layers of Chicago, recognise its history, culture and global notoriety, whilst trying to cram it into 24 hours. So, here are the must-sees in the Windy City.
- Name and shame: Which high fashion brands are still using fur?With Gucci going fur free, which high end brands haven’t made the swap? It was recently announced by Gucci CEO Marco Bizzarri, that the Italian luxury fashion brand will, from its Spring/ Summer 2018 collection, be a fur free label. According to Bizzarri, the decision was made after the introduction of new creative director, Alessandro Michele and a desire to be more socially responsible. This kind of progression in the industry towards fur-free fashion comes to the delight of PETA, who have been campaigning for the end of the fur trade since its formation in 1980 and notoriously were behind protesters covering then Gucci creative director in tomato juice, during a conference in 1999. Another target of a fur shaming attack was Kim Kardashian, who in 2012 was hit with a flour bomb thrown by a lone activist at a press event in Los Angeles. With Gucci being the latest to make the swap from Fur to Faux, which high end fashion brands are still using the controversial material? Louis Vuitton, Dior, Karl Lagerfeld, Yves Saint Lauren, Marc Jacobs, Fendi, Alexander Wang and most famously… Burberry are all on the name shame list. These brands all still use different varieties of fur in their collections, with fox and raccoon featuring heavily. It was only in late 2016 that Gucci’s fur hit the headlines again with UFC fighter Conor McGregor gloating about his reportedly $30,000 Mink Fur Coat, saying, much to the fury of Animal Rights activists, “Gucci mink — this is what confidence looks like. Serious”. A major source of the outrage towards the fur trade is the conditions on ‘fur farms’, in which animals are kept in poor and cramped conditions. With their death a result of electrocution, suffocation and poisoning. However, fur isn’t necessarily a staple of every successful fashion brand. Fashion figurehead, Stella McCartney has been a bastion for the fashion industry using vegetarian and animal – free material alternatives in luxury garments. Using this as her fashion niche, she has found tremendous success, allowing her brand to be seen as more progressive than older fashion brands. With Armani’s decision to stop its use in 2016, and Gucci following in 2018, it’s only a matter of time before more high end fashion brands join the move to faux fur. Words, Oli Chapman – @OliHChapman
Work history
Skills
- Journalism
- Art Journalism
- Cultural Journalism
- Entertainment Journalism
- Magazine Journalism
- Sports Journalism
- Online Journalism
- Science Journalism
- Political Writing
- Fashion Journalism
Education
BA (Hons) JournalismGoldsmiths, University of London
- London, United Kingdom
1st Class Honours (Predicted).